thompson - AP European History
Mastering the
DOCUMENT BASED QUESTION
As a requirement of the AP European History course, all students must master the
DBQ. Mastery of the DBQ process will be taught over time during the course. The
systematic process requires that students make all efforts to attend class during DBQ
exercises. What is missed cannot be individually taught and missed information will
cause the student to “struggle and stress” through the process.
What is a DOCUMENT BASED QUESTION (DBQ)?
The Document-Based Question is an exercise that tests your ability to analyze and
synthesize different historical points of view. The primary purpose of the DBQ is to
evaluate how students can answer a question from the documentary evidence. It is not
a test of a student’s prior knowledge. In writing the DBQ, a student acts like an
historian who must arrive at a conclusion from the available writings. There is no
single correct answer. By using a variety of documents, you can defend or refute a
particular viewpoint. There are approximately 10 to 12 documents that are analyzed to
answer the DBQ.
How is the DBQ answered?
The “Generic” DBQ will consist of five paragraphs outlined below.
1. Thesis Paragraph
2. First topic paragraph
3. Second topic paragraph
4. Third topic paragraph
5. Conclusion paragraph
 As familiar and simple as this format looks, answering DBQ is a very complex
process. Students do not have prior knowledge from other courses on how to
approach the DBQ process. Before the DBQ is answered, the documents must be
analyzed!
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thompson - AP European History
 The analysis of the documents is a multi-step process.
 The acronym AP-PARTS will be used as a guide for the order of the document
analysis. AP-PARTS is an analytical tool that will assist you in properly
interpreting historical documents.
AP-PARTS
1. Author
- Who created the source (document)?
- What do you know about the author?
- What is the author’s point of view?
2. Place and Time
- When and where was the source produced?
- How might this affect the meaning of the document?
3. Prior Knowledge
- What do you know that would help you further understand the source?
4. Audience
- For who was the source created?
- How might the audience affect the reliability of the source?
5. Reason
- Why was this source produced at the time it was produced?
6. The Main Idea
- What point is the source trying to convey?
7. Significance
- Why is this source important?
- What inferences can you draw from this document?
- So what?
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To analyze a document, it is broken down into “parts” or various components and
placed into the organizational chart below. The document, in chart-form, is now
easy to use when constructing the DBQ essay. As you master the chart, you will get
better and better. Soon, you will graduate to a simple “Tee” chart for analytical
purposes. After that, you will excel to scribbles, underlines, abbreviations, notes,
highlights, and other forms of personal shorthand that you will use to dissect the
document.
Doc.
No.
APPARTS
DESCRIPTION
A
P
P
A
R
T
S
Before we begin to analyze documents, we will discuss the document-based-question
and the historical background that the documents will address. (Occasionally, historical
background is furnished to help explain the historical time of the DBQ, but not always.)
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thompson - AP European History
Identify the various assumptions about children in early modern Europe
and analyze how these assumptions affected child-rearing practices.
Historical Background: In early modern Europe, children were generally raised by
parents and / or extended family members, often with the help of others. Families were
generally larger than modern families, and rates of childhood mortality were much
higher.
OK! We now have a DBQ on children in early modern Europe. SO…. we can write the
thesis, analyze the documents and incorporate them into our essay….WRONG!
We have so much work to do before we can even approach the “most high” thesis.
The thesis is the “Absolute Power”- the “King” of the essay. Do not even approach
the thesis unless you are prepared or you will be academically destroyed!
Suppose that you decided to go ahead and write your thesis from what you already know
about the question. It would probably look something like this.
DBQ:
Identify the various assumptions about children in early modern Europe
and analyze how these assumptions affected child-rearing practices.
Thesis:
“There were many different assumptions about children and how to raise
them in early modern Europe.”
You have just presented a “necked” king to your readers. “King Thesis” is
embarrassed and ashamed that you would do such a thing! He is royal and divine! His is
to be clothed in silk and fur, colored in indigo purple, adored with tassels of silver and
gold. Anyone who embarrasses King Thesis will bare his wrath! Your job is to prepare
the King, not humiliate him!
The first step in the preparation process is the analysis of the documents using
APPARTS. Let’s analyze our first document.
Document 1
Source: Christoph Scheurl, Nuremberg jurist and diplomat, annual notes to himself on his son
Georg’s growth and progress, Nuremberg Germany, 1538.
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My dear son Georg Scheurl will by the grace of God be six years old on April 19. He is now
growing so fast that he has become completely awkward. He likes to learn, delights in it. He is
now learning the Donat* and can already cite it from memory. He says grace at the table and
keeps his hands clasped so that he is not looked on as a child. Although he still cannot
pronounce “r” or speak perfectly, he chatters away. He knows where everything he puts between
his teeth comes from. Crabs, calf brains, and berries are his favorite foods. He likes to drink
new wine and takes good, deep swallows. He goes about the house in leaps. He now holds his
father dearer than his mother and his brother Christoph.
Doc.
No.
APPARTS
Scheurl- Judge, diplomat,
A
DESCRIPTION
Scheurl’s POV - his son is being raised according
to his Scheurl’s expectations because of his own
success. It worked for him and he believes it will
work for his son.
Germanys - 1538
P
P
A
R
T
S
Time period of Renaissance,
Reformation
Scheurl could have been inspired by humanism
Diary!
Can trust document
His observation of his son
inspires him to write the
diary entry.
Scheurl is proud of the way
he is raising his son.
Scheurl does not consider
his son a child but a young
adult.
Six “by the grace of God” illustrates high child mortality
rates
He recognizes his child’s every move - positive
and negative. Of course the positive out weights
the negative.
Scheurl perceives that his son loves him more
than his wife or his brother.



Clap hands so not to look as a child
Drinks wine in deep swallows
Cite from memory
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OK! We have just analyzed our first document! Notice that we did not fill in all of spaces
and noticed that some of the information could be placed in other slots. The important
thing to know is that we analyzed the document and it produced the information that we
needed. Remember, soon we will be analyzing documents with scribbles, underlines,
abbreviations, notes, highlights, and other forms of personal shorthand. But for now, we
have our first piece of royal clothing for “King Thesis.”
Now look at the DBQ.
Identify the various assumptions about children in early modern Europe
and analyze how these assumptions affected child-rearing practices.
What is it asking you to do?
If you cannot figure it out, reduce it to its least common
denominator!
Identify assumptions and analyze practices!
After the document analysis, did we find any assumptions or practices when it
comes to child-rearing?
What really is a thesis? A thesis is one or two sentences that answer the
question! Look at our “necked” thesis.
“There were many different assumptions about children and how to raise
them in early Modern Europe.
Did we find any assumptions or practices that we can
plug into “King Thesis” to enhance how he looks for his
reading public. Another Tee chart will help us find out.
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Assumptions
Doc. 1
Practices
Children are young adults
Let’s plug our assumption into King Thesis.
“Necked thesis”
“There were many different assumptions about children and how to raise them
in early Modern Europe.
“Improved thesis”
During early modern Europe, children were considered as young adults and
raised to act accordingly.
Now we have enough information to support our cutesy little thesis with the
information from the Judge Scheurl’s diary.
Use the “improved thesis” as a topic sentence. Write a paragraph to support
the topic. The APPARTS chart, historical background, and Judge Scheurl’s
document are your sources.
During early modern Europe, children were considered as young adults_
and raised to act like accordingly.______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
(Check for point of view)
Analyze the next document, add it as an assumption or practice to the Tee chart.
Some documents can be added as an assumption and a practice. It just depends on
how much information the document supplies.
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thompson - AP European History
Document 2
Source: Martin Luther, Protestant reformer, letter to a friend on the death of Luther’s thirteenyear old daughter Magdalene, Wittenberg, Germany, 1542.
The force of our natural love is so great that we are unable to refrain from crying and grieving in
our hearts and experiencing death ourselves. The features, the words, and the movements of our
living and dying daughter, who was so very obedient and respectful, remain engraved in our
hearts; even the death of Christ is unable to take all this away as it should. You, therefore, please
give thanks to God in our stead.
Doc.
No.
APPARTS
DESCRIPTION
Martin Luther
A
P
P
A
R
T
S
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Assumptions
Doc1
Doc2
Practices
Children are young adults
Children are precious
Document 3
Source: The Domostroi, a Russian manual on household management, Moscow, 1550s.
A man who loves his son will whip him often so that when he grows up he may be a joy to him.
He who disciplines his son will find profit in him and take pride in him among his acquaintances.
He who gives his son a good education will make his enemy jealous and will boast of him among
his friends.
Doc.
No.
APPARTS
DESCRIPTION
From the Domostroi
A
P
P
A
R
T
S
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Assumptions
Doc1
Children are young adults
Doc2
Children are precious
Practices
Doc3 Children should be treated
harshly
Now, a little magical information concerning the Tee Chart.
The Tee Chart serves two purposes.
1. It develops King Thesis.
2. It outlines the topic sentences of the DBQ.
The way the tee chart performs these duties is simple…but not that simple! The
chart groups the documents into common themes. (Refer to each theme as a
group.)
Remember, a DBQ is supported by several documents; 10 or more. A group
must have two of more documents that are used correctly or it is not a group.
Now this is very important!!!
 Only groups are allowed into King Thesis.
 Only groups are allowed into topic sentences.
Let’s take another look at our DBQ and thesis.
DBQ
Identify the various assumptions about children in early modern Europe and
analyze how these assumptions affected child-rearing practices.
Thesis
During early modern Europe, children were considered as young adults and
raised to act accordingly.
After analyzing the first three documents, refer to the Tee chart and write an
improved thesis.
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Assumptions
Doc1
Children are young adults
Doc2
Children are precious
Practices
Doc3 Children should be treated
harshly
“New King Thesis:”
In the 1600s, children were viewed as very precious and treated as young adults,
but sometimes they were treated harshly to assure that they grow up properly.
So, in order to use….
“children were considered as young adults”
“children are precious”
“children were treated harshly”
….as parts of our thesis, other documents must also voice the same themes
and become members of the same groups. (Groups cannot be made from
common types of documents such as a group of speeches, a group of diary
entries, a group of quotes, etc.)
So, now you should have the idea and be able to work through the remaining
documents using the APPARTS process. Use a Tee chart to group the themes
to be incorporated into King Thesis.
Document 4
Source: Benvenuto Cellini, metal crafter and sculptor, autobiography, Florence, Italy, 1550s.
On one occasion, when I was in that mood, I mounted my handsome little horse, and with a
hundred crowns in my pocket rode off to Fiesole to see a natural son* of mine, whom I was
keeping at nurse with the wife of one of my workmen. When I arrived I found the boy in very
good health. Sad at heart, I kissed him; and then when I wanted to leave he refused to le me go,
holding me fast with his little hands and breaking into a storm of crying and screaming. Seeing
he was only somewhere around two years old, this was beyond belief. I detached myself from
my little boy and left him crying his eyes out. *Born out of wedlock.
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Document 5
Source: Pieter Brueghel, the Elder, detail from Children’s Games Spanish Netherlands,1560.
Document 6
Source: Michel de Montaigne, published essay, Bordeaux, France, 1580.
I cannot abide that passion for caressing new born children, which have neither mental activities
nor recognizable bodily shape by which to make themselves lovable, and I have never willingly
suffered them to be fed in my presence.
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Document 7
Source: Jean Benedicti, Franciscan preacher, moralist, and professor of theology,
A Summary of Sins, Lyon, France, 1584.
It must be noted that the command of the father obligates the child to obey under pain of mortal
sin, except in matters that are against his conscience and the honor of God. In such matters, the
child is not obliged to obey him. For example, if the father commands the child to go to hear the
preaching of heretics, to steal, to kill, to traffic at festivals, to lend money with usury, to leave the
religious state, to fornicate, to swear, to lie, to bear false witness, etc., he is not to be obeyed.
Likewise, if the father or the mother, wishing to sell the honor of their daughter, commands her
to submit to intercourse in order to earn them something, the daughter must definitely not obey
them, but rather suffer death, however poor her parents may be.
Document 8
Source; King Henry IV, letter to Madame de Montglat, governess to the king’s six-year-old son,
Louis, Paris, 1607.
I have a complaint to make; you do not send word that you have whipped my son. I wish and
command you to whip him every time that he is obstinate or misbehaves; knowing well for
myself that here is nothing in the world which will be better for him than that. I know it from
experience, having myself profited, for when I was his age I was often whipped. That is why I
want you to whip him and to make him understand why.
Document 9
Source: Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle, letter describing her upbringing,
Colchester, England, 1620s.
We were bred tenderly, for my mother naturally did strive to please and delight her children, not
to cross and torment them, terrifying them with threats, or lashing them with slavish whips; but
instead of threats, reason was used to persuade us, and instead of lashes, the deformities of vice
were discovered, and the graces and the graces and virtues were presented unto us.
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Document 10
Source: William Blundell, English Catholic gentleman, “An Exercise for the Children to Embolden
Them in Speaking,” a dialogue performed by Blundell and his nine-year-old daughter, Lancashire,
England, 1663.
Daughter: Sir, I will amend all.
Father: Aye, aye, you will amend all. You used to promise the rod so, but how oft have you broke your
promise? I am now resolved to take another course.
Daughter: When I confess my sins to God I am sure of pardon, if sorrow be not wanting and a true
purpose to mend.
Father: If I were sure you had such a sorrow and such a purpose I could often more easily forgive you.
And commonly when God forgiveth our sins, nevertheless He scourgeth us roundly.
Daughter: Dear Father, I have heard you say that an act of perfect sorrow doth gain a general pardon and
freedom.
Father: It is my duty to you not to cast you off while any hope remains, but to correct you as occasion
requires, and this correction I am bound under sin to give you, though now at this present I hope that you
and I may be dispensed with as to that particular. Go. Remember what I tell you. Become a good girl;
pray and mend. (father goeth out.)
Daughter: Pray and mend – yes, by the grace of God will I pray and mend. I never came off thus in all
my life when my father was so angry. I expected no less than to have been shut up in a dark room for a
week or a fortnight and to have dined and supped upon birchen rods. Well, this praying and mending will
do the deed, and now I’ll pray and mend.
Document 11
Source: John Locke, English philosopher and physician, “Some Thoughts Concerning Education,
“ London, 1693.
But when I talk of reasoning with children, I do not intend any other but such as is suited to the
child’s capacity and apprehension. Nobody can think a boy of three or seven years old should be
argued with as a grown man. When I say, therefore, that they must be treated as rational
creatures, I mean that you should make them sensible by the mildness of your carriage, and the
composure, even in your correction of them, that what you do is reasonable in your, and useful
and necessary for them; and that it is not out of caprice, passion, or fancy that you command or
forbid them anything.
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Document 12
Source: Jean-Jacques Rousseau, philosophe, Emile or On Education, Amsterdam, 1762.
An excess of rigor and an excess of indulgence are both to be avoided. If you let children suffer,
you expose their health, their lives. You make them miserable in the present. If by too much
care you spare them every kind of discomfort, you are preparing great miseries for them; you
make them delicate, sensitive. I see little rascals playing in the snow, blue and numb with cold,
hardly able to move their fingers. Nothing prevents them from going to get warm; they will have
none of it. If they were forced to do so, they would feel the rigors of constraint a hundred times
more than they feel those of the cold.
Let’s return to King Thesis…. as you see, he needs a lot of attention!
It will be impossible to include all of the individual themes that you, as a young historian,
uncover from the documents. That is why the themes are grouped. This process allows us to
objectively look at history through wide lenses and make observations about the time period.
Our DBQ calls for a fairly standard type thesis. In its final form, it will look something like this:
Identify X, X, X, and analyze Y, Y, Y.
Or this:
Identify assumption, assumption, and assumption; analyze practice, practice,
and practice.
Or this:
Identify X, X, and X. Analyze Y, Y, and Y. (The thesis can be embedded into more than
one sentence, especially if it is double prompted)
As you see, Kings Thesis’s “supreme verbs” need be supported by three groups. Identify three
groups; analyze three groups. This concept will give the essay balance, but the thesis does not
have to be balanced. It does need to address assumptions and practices! The exceptions to
this rule are to numerous to count. Maybe the DBQ is “single-prompted,”.... it is asking you to
do one thing. It might look like this:
Analyze X, X, and X.
Nothing is set in stone, but attempt to stay within this format until you build confidence in what
you are doing.
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thompson - AP European History
Now let’s look at some of the groups that we uncovered during our analysis of
the documents.
Groups of Assumptions and Practices /Documents
considered as young adults
precious, treasures
treated harshly / tradition
insufferable and annoying
reason
corporal punishment
religious, spiritual
obey parents
gentle
progressive
education
parents
patriarchal
philosophers
detached
inferior
1,
1,2
3,4,6,8
4,6
9,10,11,12
3,8
2,7,10
2,7,10
1,2,9,10,11,12
10,11,12
1,3,8,9,10,11,12
1,2,4,8,10
1,7,8,10
6.11,12
4,6,12
4,6
You now have several pages of instructions on how to analyze documents, group them, and
develop King Thesis. By the end of the school year you must be able to do all of this in
15 minutes! Piece of Cake!
(The answer is NO! To late to see the counselor ….everyone stays.)
Now it is time to start writing the DBQ essay. Before you do, we need to be
extremely familiar with the Generic Core-Scoring Guide for the AP
European History DBQ. Scoring is between 1 and 9. For this introduction
to the DBQ format, all students are required to make a 6.
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Generic Core-Scoring Guide for the AP European History DBQ
(Score Scale 0-9)
BASIC CORE
EXPANDED CORE
Points
1) Provides an appropriate,
explicitly stated, thesis that
directly addresses all parts of the
question. THESIS MAY NOT
SIMPLY RESTATE THE
QUESTION.
1
2) Discusses a majority of the
documents individually and
specifically.
1
3) Demonstrates understanding
of the basic meaning of a
majority of the documents (may
misinterpret no more than one).
1
4) Supports the thesis with
appropriate interpretations of a
majority of the documents.
1
5) Analyzes point of view or bias
in at least three documents.
1
Expands beyond basic core of 1-6.
The basic score of 6 must be
achieved before a student can earn
expanded core points.
0-3
Examples:
1
6) Analyzes documents by
explicitly organizing them in at
least three appropriate groups.
Subtotal
Points
6

Has a clear, analytical, and
comprehensive thesis.
Uses all or almost all
documents.
Addresses all parts of the
question thoroughly
Uses documents
persuasively as evidence.
Shows understanding of
nuances in the documents
Analyzes point of view or
documents cited in the
essay.
Analyzes documents in
additional ways — additional
groupings or other.
Brings in relevant "outside"
historical content.
Subtotal
3
TOTAL
9
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This is what you should have so far.

An understanding of the historical background if given.

A good command of the history that you have been taught.
(Always enhance you essay with your learned knowledge)

A well organized King Thesis. (Identify X, X, X; analyze Y, Y, Y.)

An idea of three topic sentences developed from the thesis.

Ideas for the conclusion.
Here’s good idea. Suppose that your thesis took two or three sentences in the
introduction paragraph. By the by time you arrived at the conclusion; your
thoughts are better organized. Always put the thesis in the conclusion if you can
better state it. The grader will give credit for the best one.
Writing the Essay - Ok…here’s the deal. No one can write a
DBQ essay for you and a teacher cannot give you a perfect
format and let you fill in the blanks on a standardize form.
Each student will develop their own style how to approach
the essay.
You must remember your task.
Suppose you are a lawyer - your job is based on how well you can analyze
documents.
Maybe you are gong to write a book - you must be an expert on the history of
your subject matter before you can even write the first page.
Profits are down, your boss can’t figure out why. You research company
history, suggest a change of course to Board of Directors…now you are the boss.
I can list a thousand reasons why developing this skill is important to learn, but
for now you are not a lawyer, author, or junior executive. You are a history
student that must do a task and begin acquiring the skill.
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What is your task? For what ever reasons, you are
attempting to identify the various assumptions about children in
early modern Europe and analyze how these assumptions affected
child-rearing practices.
You discard second -hand data such as teachers and
textbooks and decide to go straight to the historical sources
for good accurate information.
Your research uncovers 12 documents that are historically
sound on the topic of child-rearing. You analyze the
documents.
You realize some of the documents are more important than others,
some are bias, some are assumptions, and some are practices. Some
support children, some tear them down. You grasp that a lot of
children die young. Some parents love their child, and others
consider them a nuisance. You make a mental note that children are
viewed as precious, evil, tender and annoying.
During the analytical process, you developed a personal
position on child-rearing during early modern Europe. You
want your research to be the best “truth” that can be stated.
That’s what historian’s do. This is your stand, this is your
opinion, this is your belief, and this is your POINT OF
VIEW about early child rearing practices in Europe. This is
King Thesis!
NOW BACK IT UP!
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Dos:
 Be sure to address all points of the scoring guide.
 Identify the point of view of the documents - where the author
stands and possible bias
 No one answer is right - you can make a strong case form any
number of points of view. Be sure to have at least 3 POVs
 Cite most if the documents - if you have two or three
documents that didn’t fit in a group, don’t use them. (But if
you can incorporate them, by all means do.)
 Refer to the documents by summarizing or briefly quoting, cite
documents (doc 3) or (doc 1,6,7)
Don’ts
 Don’t simply “laundry” list the documents - Doc 1 said, doc 2
said, doc 3 said, etc.
 Don’t fail to answer the question in your effort to incorporate
the documents.
The College Board allows 45 minutes to analyze the
documents and write the essay. By that time you will be
prepared. This exercise is more about DBQ construction. Be
able to defend your work. Does your essay have a thesis,
groups, topic sentences, POVs, etc? Study the Scoring
Guide.
Do your own work...it is OK to confer with group members
for advice. If you half-way approach the project you will
have a miserable experience in this class. Develop your own
style and embrace the learning adventure. Remember that
there are as many approaches to the essay as there are
students. You essay is due in one week.
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Before you start any project, it is always nice to see what it looks like.
For that purpose, I am posting another DBQ and a written response
below. It is unedited, and graded by the College Board. The student
was timed and under a lot of pressure. Take time to read it and
observe its style. This is actual student’s work. Note the thesis,
groups, topic sentences, POVs, bias, historical info, student
knowledge, conclusion, etc. For the industrious students, I will
furnish the DBQ’s associated documents if requested.
“Analyze the causes and responses to the peasants’ revolts on the
German states 1524-1526.”(9)
Historical Background: In late 1524, peasants, craftsmen, and poor
soldiers formed bands and pillaged throughout a large area of the
Holy Roman Empire. During the revolt, some of the rebel bands
authored statements of grievances called Articles. Although most
bands did not coordinate their activities, several groups, met in
Memmingen, Swabia, during March 1525 at a gathering known as
the Peasant Parliament. After a series of battles, the authorities
managed to suppress the revolts. More than 1000,000 rebels and
others were killed.
Essay
The peasants’ revolts in sixteenth century Germany were very
historically significant. As such, many groups had different
perspectives on the causes of the revolts as well as different responses
to them. The peasants themselves cited as the cause many of the
ideas brought about through the Protestant reformation: individual
rights and the godliness and equality of all people. However, many
nobles and government officials saw these as acts of the peasants’
own stupidity and vengeful nature. As for the response to the revolts
the members of the church had widely varied responses from wholehearted support to condemnation. The government officials
responded through acts which gave the appearance of being
reasonable but actually were not.
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The peasants assert the ideologies based on the Reformation and
actual offences by the nobles to be the causes for their actions. This
can be seen in documents 2, 3, and 8. In Document 2, a peasant and
lay preacher suggests in a very reasonable tone that the peasants
should continue to help lords as long as the offenses stop and the
agreement is reasonable for both parties. These offenses which he
states show the general unhappiness of the peasantry with their
situation. While many of the peasants were more radical than the
methods that Lotzer here suggests, he highlights the ideas prompting
peasant discontent: the idea that they matter as individuals and thus
should be respected. The sentiments are echoed in document 3, were
the peasant speaker asserts that hey are as hold as the Emperor and
demands to be freed. This shows that the Reformation inspired the
peasants to rebel. He also shows that they were first willing to
consult the government for help before turning to violence. However
as seen in document 4, the government’s response does not directly
address their concerns. In document 8, the peasant’s perspective is
relayed secondhand. Lorenz Fries has the bias of writing to an
archbishop probably a possible victim of pheasant revolts and thus
may be skewing the truth. However, he does suggest that the
peasants ideas of brotherhood, as spawned by actual offenses and
reformation ideas, is becoming more radical as they discuss the
redistribution of wealth.
While these may have been real causes of the rebellions, the
noblemen felt they were because of the peasants own stupidity.
However their bias may discredit this assertion (Document 1). A
Chancellor acknowledges that “Lutheran teaching” is motivating the
peasants, however, he also says that they are “blinded, led astray,
and…witness” and essentially calls them liar. However, he has the
bias of wanting to protect his own name as a good and “Christian”
leader and thus may be unduly demonizing the peasants. This is
echoed by Nutzel, in Document 9, who calls them poor, blind and
ignorant”. He has a similar bias as a duke. Even so, he
acknowledges the role of inept authorities in the problem
substantiating the peasants’ claim. In document 11, Count Wilhelm
also blames the peasants’ greediness, making them sound like
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animals. Again, though, he has the bias of wanting to grant
legitimacy to his own leadership by demonizing the peasants.
The responses to the peasant’s rebellions and concerns by the
government were made to seem reasonable but were in actuality not
very viable. This can be seen in document 4, 12, and 10. In
document 4, the government responds to a peaceful request for
freedom by the peasants’ by saying that the peasants must essentially
buy themselves out of serfdom. This is a side-stepping response as
very few peasants would have the means to accomplish this. This
may have even inspired more revolts through its ineffectiveness.
Another almost comical governmental reasons falls by the Imperial
Diet in document 12. Citing the “unchristian” rebellion, they
graciously allow the peasants to return to their original estates. This
has the bias of wishing to appear magnanimous while actually merely
restoring the status quo. Document 10 also implies a lack of wisdom
or benevolence on the part of the government. There they are
making an old man beg for leniency because he was forced by the
peasants to swear an oath of loyalty. This suggests that the
government was fairly merciless in punishing those involved, in any
way, in the peasant revolts.
Religious officials had their own unique set of responses to the
peasant revolts. This can be seen in documents 5, 6, and 7. Thomas
Muntzer, on one hand, fervently encouraged the continuation of
these revolts, implying that they were “God’s will.” He uses
incredibly strong language to prompt more violence. Martin Luther,
in document 4, has a completely opposite response, demonizing the
peasants, saying that they have twisted his own teachings. However,
this viewpoint was heavily influenced by his unique political
situation, in that he needed the Elector of Saxony’s protection and
thus did not want to alienate him just to support some peasants. The
pastor in document 8 merely makes observations, a little shocked at
the peasants’ plundering. Overall, some religious men manipulated
the peasants’ revolts to their own on ends.
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In the end, it was a mixture of oppression and reformation ideology,
combined with the inept responses of the government which fueled
these revolts, in response, some did nothing, some were outraged and
others manipulated the situation.
During early modern Europe, children were viewed in many
different ways which changed how parents chose to raise
their children. During the 1500’s the mortality rates for
children were higher so children were treated as if they were
adults and very precious if they survived. Many people
believed that they needed to treat children harshly to make
them strong. In the 1600’s children were raised tender as
they were rational beings that could use reason. Children
were viewed in many ways during early modern Europe to
be rational, precious, and in need of guidance where these
views determined the parent’s choice in child rearing to
behave harshly to find guidance.
In the 1500’s children were seen as precious beings
because of the high morality rates. Because of the high
mortality rates children were often treated as if they were
adults. Chrisoph Scheurl, a Nuremberg judge and diplomat
in 1539 write about how his son is a delightful child who is
respectful and loves to learn. He is still very young at the
age of five but is treated as an adult and holds his father
dearly. Since children rarely survived because of the high
mortality rate Christoph holds his son very close to him and
is prideful of his accomplishments. (Document 1) In a letter
by Martin Luther, a leader of the Protestant Reformation in
the 1500’s, it is written that his thirteen-year-old daughter
has just died and that his is very disheartened and taken
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aback by the loss. He loves his respectful daughter. As a
father and leader of the protestant reformation Luther is
disheartened at his daughters loss but he loves and respects
God taking her away (Document 2) Since children had high
mortality rates in the 1500’s parents loved their children
dearly treating them with respect and teaching them respect
and were greatly distressed when they died.
Many parent thought that they needed to teach their
children lesions by treating them harshly. From the
Domolitoi, a Russian Manual on household management it is
written that the children must be whipped to he is obedient
and joyful to the parents, the child must be disciplined and
have a good education so that he can make the parents
proud and become a great person. The manual was written
in the 1500s when Russia was still considered “backward”
by the west where there was serfdom and people wee still
seen as objects so harsh discipline would be okay (Document
3). In an autobiography, a metal craft and sculptor,
Bennenoto Cellini writes that he visited his son that was
born out of wedlock and abruptly left the boy crying as he
didn’t want Cellini to leave. Since Cellini’s child was born
out of wedlock he will be treated harshly and shunned as
was a custom of the 1500s (Document 4). In a letter to
Madame de Montglas, the governess of King Henry IV’s
child, Henry IV writes that he wants the governess to whip
his son and it will make him a better person which Henry IV
knows from experience. Whipping your child and treating
them harshly was common for people to do and okay to do
during the 1500s as the king of France, Henry IV wants his
son to be strong when he gets the throne so he will do
anything to make his son not misbehave (Document 8).
Many people thought it was acceptable to treat their child
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harshly since serfdom was still present and people were
considered objects.
In the 1600s there was a change in which children wee
treated as they were rational beings that were precious and
needed to be tenderly raised, Margaret Cavendish, a
Duchess of Newcastle and a critique of the Royal Society of
London, in a letter describing her upbringing writes that she
was raised tenderly and reason was used to persuade her
that virtues were presented to her, and her mother wanted
to please her children. During the 1600s the Enlightenment
was going on and people saw individuals as rational able to
use reason. As a person during the Enlightenment and a
duchess her family was aware of the new ideas and used
them to raise their children (Document 9). William
Blundell, an English Catholic gentlemen in “An Exercise for
the Children to Embolden them in Speaking” it is said that
it is the fathers’ job to correct his daughter’s sin and teach
knowledge and the daughters job to evolve under the grace
of God and not anger her father as a Catholic gentlemen
during the Enlightenment, Blundeli believes he has to instill
social Catholic morals in his daughter and prevent her from
sin from correcting her mistakes (Document 10). In “Some
Thoughts Concerning Education”, John Locke, the
philosopher who wrote Two Treaties of Government writes
that a person must reason with children to their capacity of
understanding. They are rational and in correction of them
do not forbid them to not do anything. As a member of the
Enlightenment Locke believes people are rational and
Tableau Rasa, or blank slate where they be taught what to
do. Changing ideas of the 1600s, into the Enlightenment
allowed for parents to treat children kindly and rationally.
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Children were treated in different ways due to the accepted
ideas and attitudes of the time from serfdom, the religion,
the mortality rates and the Enlightenment children were
treated as rational beings who were to be treated kindly as
precious gifts from God and treated harshly as they weren’t
gifts that reflect the family. Different views of children and
raising procedures change throughout history do to changes
in ideas and different cultural movements. (8)
Doc.
No.
APPARTS
DESCRIPTION
1
A
P
P
A
R
T
S
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AP-PARTS
1. Author
- Who created the source (document)?
- What do you know about the author?
- What is the author’s point of view?
2. Place and Time
- When and where was the source produced?
- How might this affect the meaning of the document?
3. Prior Knowledge
- What do you know that would help you further understand the source?
4. Audience
- For who was the source created?
- How might the audience affect the reliability of the source?
5. Reason
- Why was this source produced at the time it was produced?
6. The Main Idea
- What point is the source trying to convey?
7. Significance
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- Why is this source important?
- What inferences can you draw from this document?
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